? 


Lorry i: Rae 
Tawa Linder a. : 


uw Waal BS ng 


Peleaa fare 


ee ENS Ey ft 


Lon An 


Woon 


OF of) 


By 
REV. S. F. SMITH, D. D. 


ee 
ete 
Bers 
BATT 


apie 
Gi fy 


Cis eM alal eds al od ne! 
fF ME ee he ow 


Ma Se EE AR aE dy lee 


2h Section 


124% 


iL LN esol Lone otar 
; Thy radiance bright 


Shall spread o’er all the east- 


ern sky; 


Morn breaks apace from gloom and night; 


Shine on, and bless the pilgrim’s eye. 


Shine on, ‘‘Lone Star!”’ I would not dim 
The light that gleams with dubious ray; 
The lonely star of Bethlehem 
Led on a bright and glorious day. 


Shine on, ‘‘Lone Star!’ in grief and tears, 
And sad reverses oft baptized ; 
Shine on, amid thy sister spheres; 


Lone stars in heaven are not despised. 


Shine on, “ Lone Star!”? Who lifts his hand 
To dash to earth so bright a gem, 

A new “lost pleiad”’ from the band 
That sparkles in night’s diadem? 


Shine on, ‘Lone Star!”’ The day draws near 
When none shall shine more fair than 
thou; 


Thou, born and nursed in doubt and fear, 


* Wilt glitter on Immanuel’s brow. 


Shine on, ‘Lone Star!” till earth redeemed, 
In dust shall bid its idols fall; 
And thousands, where thy radiance beamed, 


Shall <‘crown the Saviour, Lord of all!”’ 


HE poem entitled The Lone Star, aside from 

its intrinsic beauty of thought and imagery, 

_ possesses interest for its historical significance. 

The early days of the Telugu Mission were times that 
sorely tried the faith of the workers, both at home and 
on the field, and the question of abandoning the feeble 
interest in South India was frequently considered. In 
1853, Rev. S. S, Day, D. D., the founder of the 
mission, came home completely broken in health, leav- 
ing only Rev. Lyman Jewett, D. D., and his wife to 
care for the work. At the annual meeting of the Mis- 
sionary Union held in Albany that same year, when 
the report of the Telugu Mission came up for discus- 
sion, one of the speakers called attention to the mis- 
sionary map which hung above the platform, on which 
the mission stations were marked with stars. He 


pointed out the solitary star at Nellore in contrast with . 


the clusters in Burma and Assam, and referred to it as 
a ‘<lone star.’”? Among those present was Rev. S. F. 
‘Smith, D. D., author of America, The Morning Light 
Is Breaking and other soul stirring hymns. His atten- 
tion was arrested by the words, <‘‘lone star,’’ and 
before he slept that night he gave expression to his 
feelings in this poem. The public reading of the 
verses the next day created a profound impression, 
which resulted in a vote not only to continue, but to 
reenforce the mission which has since, under the name 
of the Lone Star Mission, become famous in missionary 
annals, ‘That ‘‘lone star’? has now (1908) increased 
to a constellation of twenty-nine, and forms one of the 
brightest spots in all the firmament of missions. 


AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSIONARY UNION AND THE 
‘WOMAN’S BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSIONARY SOCIETY 
FORD BUILDING, BOSTON, MASS.:; 
WOMAN'S BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSIONARY SOCIETY 
OF THE WEST, 1318 MASONIC TEMPLE, CHICAGO, ILL. 


T13-1ED-3M, FEBRUARY, 1908. PRICE 2 CENTS A COPY; 20 CENTS A DOZEN 


